


The Scientific Method

by RejectsCanon



Series: Of Love and Tea Leaves [4]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aang Katara and Iroh are mentioned very briefly, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bakery AU, Established Relationship, First "I love you", Fluff, I just love him and want him to be in everything I write, I may add another chapter to this that's from Zuko's POV, Light Angst, Like the lightest, M/M, Piandao is mentioned too, Since this is Sokka's POV, Tea Shop Zuko and Baker Sokka, Tea shop AU, but also maybe not who knows, but in this verse he's here as Zuko's therapist oops, but they're not IN it, no minsunderstandings here no thank you, oh i almost forgot, this is fluffy garbage, unfortunately the shops are only briefly in this, we stan healthy communication
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:01:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26569252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RejectsCanon/pseuds/RejectsCanon
Summary: Sokka has a theory. An idea. A hypothesis, perhaps.Sokka’s theory, idea, hypothesis, is that Zuko secretly loves verbal affection and words of affirmation.Or, Sokka puts his love of science to use in his relationship with Zuko. It turns out pretty well.Part of a series, but I suppose it could be read as a stand-alone. It would make more sense having read the other parts, though.
Relationships: Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Of Love and Tea Leaves [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1869442
Comments: 34
Kudos: 499





	The Scientific Method

**Author's Note:**

> So I have returned from my unintentional few weeks disappearance. I had a bad week which turned into two bad weeks and then… however long it’s been now. And then I watched Yuuri on Ice and that brought me some brief serotonin and I rode that high for a while because I have never been that giggly while watching something before. But this past week has been good, so hopefully, my little slump is over. 
> 
> Enjoy this next part of the series! Not beta-read, so all mistakes are my own.

Sokka has a theory. An idea. A hypothesis, perhaps. 

Sokka’s theory, idea, hypothesis, is that Zuko secretly _loves_ verbal affection and words of affirmation. 

Sokka likes to talk, likes to fill up silences with his voice; just endless, most of the time meaningless, chatter that only works to drown out the quiet. He knows that for the most part, people don’t really pay attention when he starts rambling about whatever, and that doesn’t really bother him. When it’s important people listen to him and that’s what really matters.

(It sends an absolute _thrill_ through him when Sokka realizes that Zuko actively listens and _pays attention_ when Sokka rambles on like he does. The first time Zuko asked Sokka to repeat himself because he got a little lost during Sokka’s rant about how baby carrots are better than regular carrots Sokka thought his heart was going to pound out of his chest with affection because _Zuko was paying attention to his random chatter._ Sokka is so in-like with this boy, wow.)

The thing is, while Sokka likes to talk to fill silences, he also uses his talent of talking to voice his opinions and feelings about how much he likes Zuko. 

It’s clear right from the beginning of their relationship that Zuko wasn’t much of a talker. Sokka knew this before they even started dating, when they were just tentative friends getting to know each other. It was up to Sokka to fill up their silences and start conversations, but he never minded. Zuko always responded to his questions and participated in their discussions when he felt he had something to contribute. At first, Sokka had just thought Zuko was more soft-spoken and shy, and there was nothing wrong with that. It made it all the more satisfying when Zuko opened up and let himself loose a little. 

(Now that they know each other better, Sokka knows Zuko’s propensity for quietness comes from his… less than stellar childhood and fear of being punished for speaking out of turn. Sokka tries to keep himself and his words and plain and open as possible, leaving little to no room for misinterpretation. He likes to think it helps.)

So, even though Sokka likes to voice, and sometimes loudly at that, his appreciation for all things Zuko, he doesn’t really expect that back. He knows talking isn’t how Zuko chooses to present his feelings, and the ways he _does_ (small gestures, spending as much time together as possible, _listening to Sokka_ ) is more than enough. For a short while, Sokka was afraid that his verbal affection made Zuko uncomfortable in a _bad way_ , which is something that Sokka has negative interest in. He’d rather do literally anything else than make Zuko feel the bad type of uncomfortable. At first, whenever Sokka would say something complimentary towards Zuko, he would always freeze, tensing up in a way that made Sokka’s shoulders ache in sympathy. He would freeze, and look at Sokka in this weary way, like he was waiting for something else to come after that, something bad. 

The something bad never came, Sokka would be damned before he purposefully hurts Zuko’s feelings and he knows that Zuko would never purposefully hurt his either. Sokka keeps giving Zuko compliments and words of affection, and slowly Zuko stops tensing up and looking like he’s about to be reprimanded. 

He doesn’t stop blushing, though, and Sokka thinks it’s the cutest thing ever. 

They’ve been dating for nearly five months now, and Sokka can feel himself falling further and further for Zuko as each day passes. It makes him giddy, makes him feel like he’s flying on nothing but happiness, and it makes Sokka want to shower Zuko in all kinds of affection. Zuko seems a lot more comfortable with Sokka’s little bits of verbal affection (“That shirt looks great on you.” “This new tea is really good.” “I love hugging you, you’re always so warm.”), more often than not just earning him an eye roll and a soft blush and even softer ‘thank you’. Sometimes though, Sokka maybe hams it up a little too much, keeps going for too long and Zuko starts to close up again, getting visibly uncomfortable when Sokka prolongs his sappy moments.

Occasionally, Zuko will blush all pretty and smile shyly and happily, and press a kiss to Sokka’s cheek and respond with an affectionate comment of his own for Sokka. 

Those are Sokka’s favorite reactions, no matter how few and far between they are. 

Sokka wants those reactions to be the go-to, rather than the worried or cautious ones. 

Which is where Sokka’s idea, theory, hypothesis comes in. 

Sokka has always been a man of science, and so, he resorts to science in order to enact his theory, idea, hypothesis. Specifically, the scientific method. 

* * *

_Step 1: Ask A Question_

It seems like Sokka’s little nicknames have mostly stopped bothering Zuko (meaning he doesn’t blush quite as hard at being called ‘sweetheart’ anymore) but that only extends to when they’re in private rather than public. So, Sokka has somewhat of a starting point in order to form the rest of his experiment on. Terms of endearment have mostly stopped eliciting such an adverse reaction from Zuko, but sometimes it still seems as if Zuko doesn’t quite like them. Along with that, Zuko seems to have this inability to accept any kind of compliment towards himself, only really accepting them if they’re also paired with some kind of criticism. 

Sokka thinks he has a question that encompasses his thoughts on the situation well enough. 

_Does Zuko like the terms of endearment and words of affection/affirmation, or only one of the two? Are the two mutually exclusive?_

Well, that was the easy part of this whole thing. 

* * *

_Step 2: Do Background Research_

Sokka’s background research consists of pouring over every instance in which he may have used a term of endearment or words of affirmation and figuring out how Zuko reacted to them and how his reactions have changed over the months they’ve been dating. 

Sokka has kind of always used terms of endearment for Zuko, though he definitely cut it down at the beginning of their relationship. The first time Sokka has called Zuko “sweetheart”, a favorite of his, Zuko had blushed fire truck red and stuttered out some kind of shocked response, and then avoided eye contact with Sokka for pretty much the rest of the day. 

Not the best reaction. 

Sokka hadn't called him anything other than his name after that for a while in fear of getting a similar reaction. He sticks with soft touches and fond glances and bringing Zuko personalized bakes that he knows the other boy will enjoy. Zuko responds well to those things, returning his soft touches and sweet looks and bringing Sokka new teas to try in return for the bakes. 

The next term of endearment slips out without Sokka’s permission, and his heart sinks when it happens, but he’s met with a slightly different reaction. 

(He’d gone to pick Zuko up for their date and upon Zuko opening his front door, Sokka was met with the sight of a Zuko dressed to impress and Sokka’s heart skipped a beat. 

“Looking good, pretty boy,” had slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it. Sokka had nearly slapped his hand to his forehead in regret, but then.

Then Zuko had laughed. 

He was still blushing a light pink, and he wasn’t _quite_ looking Sokka in the eyes, but he didn’t look panicked like he had the last time. 

“Hm, thank you. You look better,” Zuko had said boldly, his blush deepening a bit.)

Sokka’s not quite sure what had been different about that time. Was it because they were about to go on a date and so things like that were more appropriate? Was it because they were still on the threshold of Zuko’s house so he felt more comfortable? Or did Zuko just have one of those bursts of confidence that he gets sometimes? Further experimentation and research are required. 

The few times after that where Sokka had used terms of endearment, he’d been met with some mixed reactions. A “good morning, sweetheart” in the kitchen of the bakery when it was just the two of them was met with a small smile and sweet kiss. A “babe, can you pass me that?” in Sokka’s kitchen during date night was met with an eye roll and teasing smile. A “here you go, honey” in the middle of a random coffee shop when Sokka places his drink in front of him is met with wide eyes, a bright blush, and some grumbling. On the other hand, a “here you go, honey” in either The Jasmine Dragon or Blue Moon Bakery gets him another sweet smile and little to now blush. 

The more time that passes and the more Sokka feels comfortable using the occasional term of endearment, it also seems that Zuko gets more comfortable with them, depending on where they’re being said. 

Compliments and words of affirmation are a completely different matter, however.

Namely because Zuko can’t take a compliment to save his life, and this extends to him not being able to handle words of affirmation, either. 

Zuko tends to downplay his achievements as things that aren’t that big of deals, or things that should have or would have been done anyway, and therefore don’t deserve praise. He’ll only take a compliment if it comes in some backward way that also includes some kind of criticism either from himself or from someone else. 

Sokka refuses to give him a backhanded compliment just so he’ll accept something, so he needs to find a way around that immediately. 

(He could always _talk_ to Zuko about this, but really, neither of them are great at talking about emotional shit like that so that’s the last resort.)

Sokka starts to notice this when he tries to compliment Zuko’s handling of unruly customers.

(“You handled that really well,” Sokka had said in awe. “There’s no way I could’ve done that without yelling at people.”

“It’s nothing,” Zuko brushed it off. “I guess I’ve had a lot of practice, and Uncle doesn’t like it when I yell at people, which happens more often than not.”

Sokka hesitated because something about how Zuko said that put him on edge a little. He sounded almost… bitter? Upset? Uncomfortable? Something about it was off.

“Still,” Sokka said. “You also handled your worker really well, like, making sure they were okay. You’re a good manager.”

Again, Zuko brushed it off. “It’s not a big deal, really,” he said. “I’m just not letting them get yelled at by idiots. That’s like, the bare minimum that a manager should do.”

“Whatever you say,” Sokka finally acquiesced, but he did file away Zuko’s reaction.)

So, Zuko doesn’t really take compliments, no matter where they happen. Unlike the terms of endearment that get different reactions based on where and how he says them, compliments always get a negative response. He never tells Sokka to stop, though, so he must not have a bad problem with it. Zuko usually has no qualms with telling Sokka when something is making him uncomfortable and he would rather Sokka stop. 

Zuko will brush them off, downplay them, and sometimes just ignore them. Sometimes when Sokka tries to keep them going so that Zuko just accepts them, he’ll argue against them. Very _very_ rarely will Zuko accept these things without argument, and Sokka has yet to find out how those times differ from the others.

Sokka doesn’t really have an idea on how to remedy this. 

But! That’s a later problem. Sokka has other aspects of his experiment to focus on. 

* * *

_Step 3: Construct A Hypothesis_

Arguably the easiest step of this experiment, since Sokka’s had this idea for a while. After doing his ‘background research’ (thinking about Zuko’s various reactions and trying to find consistencies), Sokka thinks he has a better understanding of Zuko, leading him to a hypothesis.

Said hypothesis being: Zuko likes, if not outright appreciates, the terms of endearment and other forms of verbal affection that Sokka uses. Compliments and words of affirmation make him uncomfortable at times, but he likes them to some degree. As their relationship progresses, he seems to be taking them better. The two things are not mutually exclusive, even though Sokka would like them to be. 

(Sokka doesn’t like the idea of calling Zuko things like “honey” and “sweetheart” while also not really being able to compliment him and show his affection in other verbal ways.) 

Now for the crux of Sokka’s experiment.

* * *

_Step 4: Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment_

Sokka plans out exactly how he’s going to tackle his experiment. 

Based on his research, Zuko reacts differently to Sokka calling him all kinds of sweet things depending on where they are and what they’re doing. Sokka comes up with a list of different places and different activities in order to see which reactions he has and if they match up with Sokka’s research. Sokka believes that Zuko reacts more positively when they’re somewhere he feels comfortable; like they’re shops or their homes. He also responds more positively when they’re already doing something romantic or date-like, sometimes even feeling comfortable enough to reciprocate. On the other hand, Zuko gets embarrassed more easily when they’re somewhere crowded or if they’re on the main floors of their businesses where customers can see them. 

(Sokka actually knows why that one bothers Zuko as much as it does, so he won’t be including that in his experiment. Sokka had kissed Zuko once behind the counter of The Jasmine Dragon when he was on his way out, and Zuko had flushed much too deep and much too fast for it to be healthy. Aang had given Zuko a concerned look and looked at Sokka in something like betrayal and Sokka had known instantly that he’d fucked up. The shop had been fairly busy, and customers were giggling behind their hands as they looked at Sokka and Zuko. 

Later that night, Zuko had called him and explained why had bothered him so much.

“It’s not that I don’t want to kiss you in public, believe me on that, at least,” Zuko had said. “I don’t mind the little kisses and hand holding and stuff that we do in public. It was just doing it in the middle of the tea shop that bothered me.”

“I’m sorry,” Sokka apologized. “I didn’t really think before I did it. And I guess I thought it would be fine since I’ve kissed you in the back before, but I know doing it in front of the customers is different.”

“It’s not just that,” Zuko said. “It’s like, the front of the shop is a place where I’m supposed to be in control. I’m the boss and I try to lead by example. I know I wouldn’t be too happy about one of the others kissing their boyfriend in the middle of the shop during their shift.”

“And so you don’t want to do it either,” Sokka finished.

“Right. Sorry. If that bothers you,” Zuko said stiltedly.

“No no no, of course it doesn’t bother me!” Sokka had said in shock. “ _I’m sorry._ I made you uncomfortable, and in your own shop, of all places. I should’ve thought a little bit more before I did it.”

“I’m not upset, so all is forgiven, I promise,” Zuko said. “Just, please don’t do it again,” he said much softer and hesitantly. 

“Of course,” Sokka agreed easily. “I promise.”)

Sokka knows he needs to go about this delicately because the absolute last thing he wants is to make Zuko feel uncomfortable or too embarrassed of Sokka using the nicknames in public. He knows he’ll be speaking more quietly, so only Zuko can hear him and where people can’t eavesdrop. He doesn’t want to make Zuko feel bad, but Sokka kind of really wants to know if he’s right about how Zuko reacts to terms of endearment.

Throughout this all, Sokka plans to throw in compliments and words of affirmation to see how Zuko reacts to them now that they’ve been dating for almost six months. 

(Sokka has the brief thought of how this would all be so much easier and less anxiety-inducing if he just _asked_ Zuko, but he’s already on step 4 so he has to finish. There are only 6 steps.)

Sokka begins the first part of his experiment the very next day.

Zuko always comes to the bakery in the mornings before he opens, just to spend some extra time together. This is one of the places where Sokka thinks Zuko feels the most comfortable, as he’s never gotten a negative reaction here, and sometimes Zuko even accepts his compliments here. Zuko always brings them drinks, either coffee or tea, and Sokka always provides breakfast. They spend some time alone together in the quiet of the morning before they both have to go back to the real world, where they won’t have enough time for each other again until the end of the day or the next day completely. 

Running a successful business sometimes sucks, especially when it means he can’t spend all day every day with his wonderful boyfriend. 

(Sokka makes a mental note to say that to Zuko and see how he reacts. Sokka thinks he’ll get a lovely blush out of it.) 

Zuko enters the bakery, calling out a greeting that Sokka returns excitedly. Zuko makes his way into the kitchen, two steaming cups in his hands. Sokka goes to greet him, taking one of the cups and giving Zuko a soft greeting kiss. 

“Good morning,” he whispers against Zuko’s lips. “Thank you for the drink, sweetheart.”

Zuko’s lips twitch up in a small smile, his nose crinkling a little bit. It’s endlessly adorable. 

“You’re welcome,” Zuko says back and steals another kiss. “What are you making today?”

“Loaves of bread!” Sokka says, excitedly. “All different kinds. A sweet loaf that Aang gave me a recipe for, some different recipes of Bannock from my mom’s recipe collection. They should turn out good.”

“It smells great in here,” Zuko says, taking a deep breath. “I’m sure they’ll be great.”

“Thank you,” Sokka takes a sip of his drink and hums at the taste that hits his tongue. “This is really good, have I had this tea before?”

“No, it’s a new one.”

“I like it. Good choice.”

“Well, I was bound to get one right after so many misses,” Zuko jokes, and Sokka frowns a little. It’s a small thing, sure, and yeah Sokka’s tried _a lot_ of teas since he started talking to Zuko regularly and he doesn’t always like them, but that’s not Zuko’s fault. 

Sokka says so.

“It’s not your fault I don’t like them. I have the pallet of a five-year-old, that’s on me, not you,” Sokka says, trying for cheery. He probably fails.

“Maybe, but you’d think I’d know by now what you like and what you don’t,” Zuko says. 

Ah, so that’s what that was about. 

“Sweetheart, I think you might know me better than I know myself,” Sokka says seriously. “I surprise myself sometimes with the things I like and don’t like. Don’t be so hard on yourself, you’re lovely.”

“Oh, am I?” Zuko asks, and _there’s_ that blush Sokka likes so much.

“Yes, you are. Super lovely. One of the loveliest,” Sokka’s tone of voice leaving no room for argument. He’s very willing to die on this hill if it means that Zuko will understand how Sokka sees him. 

Zuko must see some of that determination on his face because he chuckles a little. “Whatever you say, _sweetheart_.”

Sokka might blush a little bit, but he considers this first part of his experiment a success. He got good reactions from Zuko, and he even got him to not argue on a compliment. 

***

The next part of his experiment comes when they go to get lunch at a little cafe on one of their rare days off. The cafe is mostly empty, just them and a few other customers. Sokka and Zuko are sat at a table in a corner, a few tables between them and the next pair of customers. Sokka’s waiting for his name to be called so he can go grab their order from the counter. This cafe is a bit more informal than others in the area, and both Zuko and Sokka enjoy the more relaxed atmosphere it provides. 

Currently, Zuko is explaining the plot of a book he just finished reading. His eyes are bright and excited, a smile on his face that makes Sokka’s heart flutter by how happy Zuko looks. He’s even gesturing with his hands while he goes over the drama of the climax and Sokka couldn’t keep the smitten smile off his face if he tried. 

Then, Zuko cuts himself off suddenly, hands going to his sides and smile turning into a grimace. 

“Sorry,” Zuko says. “I know listening to me talk like this isn’t very interesting or anything. I’ll stop.”

“Hey, who said I wasn’t interested?” Sokka asks, trying to keep his voice gentle and reassuring.

“Well, I know it’s kind of stupid to get that into talking about some book.”

“I don’t think it’s stupid,” Sokka says. “It’s something that interests you so you should be able to talk about it. I love it when you get excited and talk to me like this.”

Zuko looks at him in shock, and maybe some disbelief, like he can’t imagine Sokka enjoying listening to him talk, which is just ridiculous. So, he continues. “I mean it. I love it when you get all excited and start explaining things to me and give me play-by-plays of what happens in your favorite books. It’s cute.”

“But… you don’t really like those things, so I didn’t think you’d like to listen to it,” Zuko says cautiously. 

“Hey, I read,” Sokka tries to joke but that seems to have been the wrong thing to say because Zuko’s eyes widen in panic. 

“That’s not what I meant!” Zuko says quickly. He starts to say more but Sokka cuts him off.

“I know that’s not what you meant,” Sokka says, reaching out to place his hand on top of Zuko’s. “And you’re right anyway. I don’t have the attention span to really sit down and read a full book. It would take me forever to finish one. And besides, why would I when I can just listen to you? You make things sound so interesting, I love listening to you talk.”

“Really?” Zuko asks, voice small and eyes flitting across Sokka’s face.

“Really,” Sokka nods. “It’s like when you listen to me talk about baking or science. It’s not really stuff that you’re super interested or totally understand, but you let me talk and listen because it’s stuff that I enjoy and you’re a good boyfriend.”

“Well, when you put it like that..” Zuko mumbles, finally twisting his hand so that Sokka can tangle their fingers together. Sokka distantly hears their order being called and makes a face, squeezing Zuko’s hand before getting up to grab it. 

He sets Zuko’s in front of him with a cheery and probably too loud, “Hey ya go, baby.”

“Sokka,” Zuko complains, blush staining his cheeks. But he doesn’t sound upset, he looks around the room a bit, but no one so much as glances in their direction. There’s a smile on Zuko’s face as he looks back at Sokka. 

Sokka counts this as another victory. 

***

The next and final step of Sokka’s experiment is to test how Zuko reacts when they’re in one of their homes. These seem to be the places where Zuko feels the most comfortable, so Sokka hopes to get the best results from this one. 

At his and Iroh’s place, Zuko is always soft and open and happy and comfortable; Sokka likes him best there, where it’s like the rest of the world can’t touch him. Like the rest of the world doesn’t matter, because he’s happy and feels safe, and Zuko actually lets himself let his guard down and allow Sokka to shower him in the affection he wants. At Sokka’s place, it took a little longer for him to get comfortable like that, Sokka suspects it’s because he still felt like a stranger in Sokka’s space. Then, Zuko started leaving clothes there, Sokka cleared him out a drawer and a section of his closet. It doesn’t stay neat and separated for long though because Sokka quickly starts stealing Zuko’s clothes and Zuko steals Sokka’s right back. The more their lives become integrated the more that Zuko seems comfortable in Sokka’s space.

(Thoughts like that always send Sokka spiraling about what it might be like if they moved in together. Would there be some time of awkward shuffling around each other? Would they adapt to domestic quickly? Would it be great? Would it be awful? Sokka can’t imagine it being anything other than wonderful, and he almost desperately wants to find out for sure.)

Tonight, they’re at Zuko and Iroh’s little house on the edge of town. Iroh had promised them the place to themselves, stating that he was going to a friend's house for a night of drinking and board games and that he would probably spend the night. Iroh had left with a wink and a suggestive eyebrow wiggle that made Sokka laugh and Zuko blush. 

Currently, they’re cuddling on Zuko’s bed, laptop open at the foot of the bed, movie long forgotten to their own conversations, and intermittent make-out sessions. 

“Hey,” Sokka mumbles into Zuko’s shoulder where Sokka’s head is resting. Zuko hums in response, tightening his arms around Sokka briefly. 

“I just wanted to tell you that I really like dating you,” Sokka says, twisting around so he can look at Zuko’s face. 

Zuko is looking at him in shock, lips parted slightly and eyes wide, blinking at Sokka rapidly. It seems he’s too shocked to even blush. 

(Maybe Sokka should examine his desire to make Zuko blush all the time because it’s possibly getting a little out of hand. That’s an introspection for later, though.)

“Um,” Zuko finally stutters out. “Where did that come from?”

“Nowhere, really,” Sokka tries to play off like he hasn’t been wanting to tell Zuko this for weeks. “I was just feeling it. Can I not tell you that I like dating you?”

“I would hope you liked dating me,” Zuko says, still obviously in a little bit of shock. “I just wasn’t expecting to hear it put so bluntly. I feel like that’s the kind of thing people say when they’re trying to get out of trouble or something. Did something happen?”

“What? No, of course not,” Sokka says, sitting up so he can look at Zuko more easily. Now that he’s looking for it, he can see the signs of distress in Zuko’s face. “I promise nothing happened. And I don’t want anything either, if you’re thinking that, too. I didn’t mean to worry you, I’m sorry.”

_Fuck,_ Sokka thinks. _Please don’t tell me I just fucked all of this up. Please._

“Sorry, I guess I just didn’t expect to hear anything like that,” Zuko says dazedly. 

“Why would you not expect to hear something like that? I know I’ve never said it so bluntly before, but you know I really _really_ like you, right?”

_I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you,_ Sokka thinks. 

“I know,” Zuko says pulling Sokka closer. “For the record, I like dating you, too. I really _really_ like you," Zuko says back to him. 

“Good. And when I say I like dating you, I mean that I don’t think I’ve ever been happier in a relationship. I like everything about this. I like it when we get to spend our mornings together in one of our shops. I like it when a little less when our shops keep us busy and that means I can’t spend as much time with you, but at the same time I’m proud of us both for running successful businesses, so that’s at a standstill. I like all the little things you do to show you care about me. I like doing all those little things in return to try and show you that I care about you. I like everything about you.”

_Now_ Zuko’s blushing. A bright red across his cheeks, to the tips of his ears, and going down his neck and disappearing under the collar of his shirt. Sokka feels satisfied. 

“I’m not really all that great,” Zuko mumbles, sinking down along the mattress and attempting to bury his face against Sokka’s shoulder. 

“You _are,_ though. To me you are.”

Zuko sniffs suspiciously against Sokka’s shoulder, and Sokka wraps his arms around him tighter.

“I don’t know how to say all that back to you,” Zuko whispers. “I don’t know how to tell you how much I care, and how much I lo- like you.”

Sokka blinks and his mind races at what he thinks Zuko almost said. _Please let him have been about to say ‘love’. He doesn’t have to say it, yet, but please don’t let me be the only one._

“I don’t need you to say it,” Sokka assures him. “I know you do. You _show_ me you do. Words are nice, sure, and I’m lucky enough that I seem to be full of them so I can actually use them. But that’s not how it is for you, and that’s perfect.”

“How is that perfect? It just sounds like a burden. Like I can’t do something so basic,” Zuko argues.

“It’s perfect,” Sokka says confidently. “Because it’s _you._ You don’t like talking? Perfect. I’ll talk enough for the both of us.”

“Don’t know what I did to deserve you,” Zuko says quietly after a few minutes of silence. Sokka’s heart flutters. “But I must’ve done something in a past life to deserve you.”

“Double-parked, probably,” Sokka jokes. “Or something equally as horrible.”

Zuko pinches Sokka’s side, making him squirm. “I was thinking more along the lines of something like rescuing some orphans from a burning building, or something equally heroic and cliche.”

Sokka laughs, and while tonight may not have had the desired results that he’d hoped for, Sokka thinks it’s exactly what they needed to happen. 

* * *

_Step 5: Observe Your Data_

From Sokka’s experiments, he’s realized some things about how Zuko reacts to him. Specifically, about how Zuko reacts to Sokka’s nicknaming and affection showing. 

Sokka still stands by his original thinking of Zuko’s feelings and reactions, especially about the compliments and words of affirmation. Zuko struggles to take compliments, no matter who they come from. For some reason or another, he doesn’t like the attention it brings him, and he always contradicts whatever is said about him. It takes some cajoling and repetition before Zuko’s ready to accept them, and even then it’s not _quite an_ acceptance. More like resignation. He gives up on disputing the compliments, just responds with a “sure I guess” and then changes the subject. 

The whole ‘words of affirmation’ thing Sokka is having a more difficult time deciphering. Sometimes, Zuko takes to them like they’re nothing, but other times, his insecurities seem to take hold and he can’t seem to comprehend that Sokka might actually think so positively of him. Other times it’s as if Zuko expects the words to come with conditions; like he has to earn them or do something in return for them. 

The terms of endearment have been a pleasant surprise, on the other hand. Zuko seems to have gotten used to Sokka calling him things like “sweetheart” and “honey” enough that they don’t really bother him anymore. Oh, he still blushes, more so when they’re in public than in the safety of their homes or the back rooms of their shops. But, he doesn’t look around wildly or hush Sokka anymore. Sometimes, he even returns them. Mostly in a teasing way, but when they do come out naturally and genuinely, Sokka swears he floats on cloud nine. 

The more Sokka goes over this information, the more one thing becomes abundantly clear. 

Sokka is completely head-over-heels in love with Zuko. 

He’s very okay with this revelation. 

Now he just has to decide what to do with it. 

* * *

_Step 6: Results/ Drawing Your Conclusion_

Sokka thinks his hypothesis surrounding Zuko was mostly correct. He’s fairly certain based on Zuko’s reactions that he likes the terms of endearment, or at the very least he doesn’t mind them. Sokka is leaning towards Zuko liking them rather than tolerating them because Zuko seems to be smiling more and more when Sokka uses them. Sokka hasn’t gotten a negative reaction to the nicknames since he was trying out new ones and called Zuko “pumpkin” and Zuko had hated it. 

The words of affirmation and compliments went mostly how Sokka had thought they would. As time has gone on, it seems that Zuko has gotten more comfortable with accepting them from Sokka, though he still seems to have this compulsory need to not accept them right away. 

Sokka feels like he’s going to have to talk to Zuko about this instead of just making (educated) guesses. Talking about feelings might not be number one on the list of things Sokka likes to do, but he knows he should talk to Zuko about all this instead of just coming to his own conclusions about things without Zuko’s input. 

***

The Feelings Talk happens a few weeks later. 

They haven't had much time together lately. April and May always lead to a spark in business for The Jasmine Dragon, their free wifi and cheap caffeine making them a hotspot for students studying for finals. Sokka has learned that a spike in activity in the tea shop also leads to a spike at the bakery by proxy of the tea shop not serving food. So, both of them have been busier lately, limiting them to phone calls and texting rather than date nights. 

Tonight though, they’ve carved out enough time for them to have a date. Zuko doesn’t have to be at The Jasmine Dragon until the afternoon the next day, and Sokka had prepped enough of the baked goods that the kid they’ve hired to help out in the back only has to put them in the oven and bake them for the allotted amount of time, giving Sokka some extra time to for the morning if he needs it. 

(Sokka _may_ be a little nervous about not being there to make sure everything runs smoothly, but he’s sure that Zuko won’t begrudge him anything if Sokka ends up leaving at the ass crack of dawn to go to the bakery instead of cuddling with him. Besides, if this feelings conversation goes to shit, Zuko probably won’t be staying over and Sokka won’t have to worry about not being at the bakery.)

Sokka waits until they’re encompassed in Sokka’s bed, surrounded by blankets and pillows, a Netflix documentary playing on Sokka’s laptop. Zuko is soft and relaxed, snuggled into Sokka’s side, and watching the screen in rapt attention. Sokka waits for the current episode to be over before he pauses it and shuffles a little so he can look at Zuko more easily. 

“What’s up?” Zuko asks, looking up at him. “Do you need anything?”

Sokka takes a deep breath before saying, “Actually, I wanted to ask you something that I’ve been thinking about for a while.”

“Oh? What is it?” Zuko’s brow is furrowed in confusion but he doesn’t look worried, and a part of Sokka eases a bit. 

“I wanted to ask you if you liked the little nicknames that I call you. ‘Sweetheart’ and ‘honey’ and stuff like that. Do you actually like it, or do you just put up with it?” Sokka bites his lip when he’s done so he doesn’t spill that he’s been examining all of Zuko’s reactions the past few weeks and thinks he knows the answer but wants to be sure.

Zuko blushes a little, but he doesn’t turn to look away and he keeps eye contact. 

“It doesn’t bother me,” Zuko says quietly. 

“But do you _like_ it? I don’t want to keep doing it if it makes you uncomfortable,” Sokka continues.

Zuko looks at him a little more confused. “What do you mean? It doesn’t make me uncomfortable.”

_Well shit._ “It’s just, sometimes when I do it, you look a little uncomfortable. Like, when I call you things in public sometimes, you look really embarrassed. And I don’t want to keep doing it if you don’t like it. I don’t want to do anything that you don’t like,” Sokka rushes out. 

“Oh,” Zuko breathes out, eyes wide. “Well, I guess I get like that cause I’m not used to it? Like, when you do it when it’s just the two of us, it feels… I don’t know. Personal? It’s sweet, I guess. But you doing it in public doesn’t bother me. I’m sure I look a little embarrassed, but I’ve always blushed easy.”

“So you don’t mind? You like it?” Sokka wants to make sure.

Zuko groans, pushing his face into the crook of Sokka’s shoulder. Sokka can just make out the blush going down Zuko’s neck, and he can tell that Zuko’s smiling. 

“Zuko,” Sokka teases, smiling now. “Do you like it when I call you ‘sweetheart’? Honey? Baby? Pretty boy? Sweet thing?”

“Stop,” Zuko whines out. “Don’t tease me.”

“But teasing you is so fun,” Sokka says, wiggling his fingers in Zuko’s sides and making him squirm. 

“If I say I like it will you stop teasing me?” Zuko pouts at him. 

“I’ll stop teasing you tonight,” Sokka says. 

“Fine. I like it. It’s sweet,” Zuko says, immediately hiding his face again. Sokka hums in contentment, wrapping his arms around Zuko’s shoulders and pulling him in tight. He lets them sit like that for a few moments of silence before speaking again.

“Can I ask you something else?” Sokka asks quietly. Zuko makes an inquiring noise.

“Do you like it when I compliment you?” Sokka asks, keeping his voice quiet and his arms around Zuko. Zuko makes another questioning noise.

“It’s just, when I compliment you, or tell you that I like something about you, or something that you did, it’s like you don’t really believe me? Or it seems like you avoid what I’m saying. I don’t know if I’m wrong or if something else is going on there, but I don’t know. I want to compliment you, and tell you when you do something that I like, but it seems like it bothers you.”

Zuko sighs deeply and pulls away from Sokka a little. Sokka is loathed to let him go, but he lets Zuko pull away. 

“Believe it or not,” Zuko starts. “I’ve been talking to Doctor Piandao about that. This is one of those ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ moments where that saying _isn’t_ actually bullshit.”

Sokka hesitates now. If Zuko’s talking to his therapist about this, Sokka doesn’t want to push and prod and intrude. He’ll drop it right now if this is something Zuko wants to work on by himself. 

“I think I’m gonna need you to tell me what to do here, then,” Sokka says. “I don’t want to make things harder for you, and I don’t want to be doing something that’s inadvertently hurting you.”

“No!” Zuko says vehemently. “No, you’re not. You’re great. Perfect. You haven’t done anything like that, I promise. It’s just…”

“Just…?” Sokka asks when Zuko’s quiet after that.

“It’s just more shit from my childhood. I’m working on it,” Zuko sighs. “I have a hard time accepting compliments and stuff like that because of how my dad was. He… he used words to hurt a lot. So, I guess I’ve just put up this wall where if I don’t accept or acknowledge the words, then they can’t hurt me later. It’s complicated. My first reaction is to not believe it when people say good things about me, I guess. It’s hard to put into words.”

Zuko sighs again, flopping down on the bed. He looks upset, but Sokka doesn’t think he’s upset with _him._ He’s probably upset with himself. Sokka has learned that Zuko is notoriously too hard on himself. 

“Would it be better if I stopped?” Sokka asks softly. He really doesn’t want to. Sokka wants to shower Zuko in all the affection he can. He wants to compliment him, and call him sweet names, and tell him all the things he loves about him. But, if that’s making things harder on Zuko, he’ll try to stop. 

“No, I don’t think I want you to stop,” Zuko says, pulling Sokka out of his thoughts. “I think it’s better. With you.”

“Really?” Sokka asks hopefully. 

“Yeah,” Zuko says. He turns his head towards Sokka, but he doesn’t quite make eye contact. “Logically I know that you wouldn’t lie to me, or say things just because. I know you don’t want to use words to hurt me like that.”

“Never,” Sokka agrees immediately. “I never want to do something that makes you uncomfortable or hurts you.”

Zuko smiles up at him, and Sokka wiggles down the bed so that they’re face to face. 

“Can I tell you some things I about you then?” Sokka asks, maybe a little _too_ excitedly because Zuko snorts. 

“What, like, purge it all out? I guess,” Zuko shrugs.

Sokka’s pretty sure the smile he gives Zuko is so bright it could light the whole room.

“I love how seriously you take working at The Jasmine Dragon,” Sokka starts immediately. “I admire how much you care about your staff and how you try your best to take care of them. I think you’re a great manager and would be a great owner if you ever decide to over for your uncle. I love how you care about them all so completely. You might not say it but you _show it_. I admire how you care about people so much. I love it when you get excited over things and start gesturing with your hands. I love how your brow crinkles when you concentrate on something. I love how you try to keep up this bad boy look and mentality when you’re really a softie who would do anything for the people you care about. I love that you let me try new recipes on you. I love that you’re so supportive and have faith in me. I love that you and Katara get along so well. I love that you treat Aang like a little brother. I love that you fit in my life so well. I love--”

Sokka gets cut off suddenly when Zuko tackles him down on the bed, hovering over him. Zuko starts pressing kisses to Sokka’s face, and Sokka realizes that Zuko’s _crying. Shit._

Then Zuko’s pulling back, and looking Sokka in the eyes, and saying-

“I love you.”

Sokka gasps, his mouth falling open and eyes widening in shock.

“You do?” He asks softly.

“I do,” Zuko nods. “I love you. You don’t have to say it back, but I’m pretty sure I’ve been feeling it for a while and you were saying all those things and--”

Sokka cuts him off, pulling Zuko down for another kiss, and then another, and one more just to be safe.

“I love you, too,” Sokka says breathlessly. “Of course I do, how could I not? I was working up to that, I hope you know.”

Zuko hums, smiling down at him. “Well, I wanted to beat you to it.”

“Stole my thunder,” Sokka jokes, pulling Zuko down for more kisses. 

Eventually, they pull away from each other and settle back down to cuddle, Zuko’s head on Sokka’s shoulder, Zuko’s arms around his middle, and Sokka’s arm around his shoulder. Sokka reaches forward to start playing the documentary again, and they watch in silence for a while. 

“One of these days I’ll be able to do that for you,” Zuko says suddenly. 

“What?” Sokka asks, a little lost.

“Tell you all the things I love about you,” Zuko clarifies. “I don’t think I could do it now and do it justice, but someday I will.”

“Whenever you’re ready,” Sokka says. “I’ll look forward to it.”

Zuko tightens his arms around Zuko, whispers “I love you” into Sokka’s shoulder.

“Love you,” Sokka whispers back.

Sokka thinks he can call this experiment a success. 

(He doesn’t end up going to the bakery until late morning. Some of the bread is kind of burnt, but Sokka couldn’t care less.)

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like I had a lot planned for this addition for the series that I just couldn't make myself do, so I might come back to this and add a second chapter, but for now, consider this addition finished because it did end in a way I'm happy with. As always, here are some links for the crises happening in the world (also, if there are some other things y'all think I should add here, feel free to let me know!)
> 
> Black Lives Matter petitions, donations, and other resources [here](https://t.co/ScNVY4VxD2?amp=1)  
> If you can’t donate, [here’s](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlhfJSrlPNthnoD1XFDHzmdf6Mpt2pe-2&feature=share) a youtube playlist where all the proceeds from the videos are being donated to BLM charities  
> Yemen Crisis Links [here](https://yemencrisis.carrd.co/)  
> Helping Lebanon Links [here](https://helplebanon.carrd.co/)  
> COVID-19 and others (US specific): [here](https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/news/covid-19-resources-services-support)  
> California Fires Info and Donation Links: [Here](https://www.thecalifornian.com/story/news/2020/08/20/california-fires-how-to-help-river-lake-carmel-wildfires/5618698002/)
> 
> [Here’s](https://rejectscanon.tumblr.com/) my tumblr if you want to peruse and enjoy 
> 
> Also [here’s](https://www.instagram.com/p/CEVUe2mlvl1/) a piece of art that a lovely person made of Zuko in his comfy red sweater!


End file.
